I’m part of a student panel session for an on-campus event for postgraduate applicants. The organizer asked me to be prepared to answer the following questions:

1. What is the one thing that you wish you had known about postgraduate study before you started?

I wish I had known that I could ‘test-drive’ as many courses as I liked in the first week. You only need three courses per term but it is perfectly okay to attend five, eight, twelve different classes and then narrow down your preferences based on the syllabus, the class size, the lecture format and the professor. It’s also an opportunity to get to know the layout of the university very quickly and meet loads of people. Maybe you’ll even recognize a few faces after Freshers’ Week!

2. Do you have any funding in place? If so, how did you go about looking for it and applying?

3. How did you find accommodation? Do you have any tips for finding somewhere to live?

We found our flat on gumtree. It is a public advertisement board where anyone can post anything so make sure you check if the flat is legitimate before putting forward any money. Apply early for university residence if that is your preference because facilities are on a first-come, first-served basis. I recommend finding a place near the beautiful Meadows or rugged Salisbury Crags if you like greenery. There are cheaper deals near King’s Buildings if you have classes there and it’s very convenient being near Cameron Toll Shopping Centre for groceries and more.

4. What’s the best thing about being a student in the city of Edinburgh?

The best thing about being a student here is that it’s a very active community inside and outside of the university’s sphere. Join a local choir, yoga club, community centre gardening group or go surfing on the weekends. There were no Scottish people in my program so sometimes I didn’t feel like I lived in Scotland until I left campus!